Last week, Rob wondered what you think about Rubio Monocoat and Odie’s Oil, and here’s what we’ve gathered from the mail bag. – Editor
“Finishing is not my favorite part of woodworking, so I like something that does it quickly with nice results. I use tung oil sometimes, but Monocoat is my favorite. I normally work with small items like boxes. Love the finish but not much love for the ‘Part B’ can. I recently discovered I can purchase Part B in a bottle. That goofy can has been my only gripe, so I think I can get over that now. I use two coats one or two days apart with a light buff with gray and white pads in between. I follow that after at least a week with polishing and wax buffing. I just bought some Rubio Universal Maintenance Oil to try to add a little sheen. I don’t have any results on that yet.” – Gary Hamilton
“I’ve used Rubio and really love it. You’re probably aware of Blacktailstudeo.com, but if not, check out Cam’s testing and reviews of this product. He shows it to be really durable and beautiful as well as easy to use.” -Mike Haynes
“I used Odie’s Oil to finish a dining room table I built for my kids. It was pretty simple and came out looking great. I wanted a finish I could fix up later if something spilled or scraped or damaged the surface in some fashion, but so far I haven’t had to do that! It only took about a day and a half to get it all on, rubbed all down and a second coat applied. It was pretty expensive for the small jar that I needed, and I used it up completely on a 32″ x 46″ tabletop and undercoat.” – Rolf Peterson
“I have used Odie’s for various projects over the last five years. I was introduced to it when taking a class at Urbn Lumber here in Columbus, Ohio. They specialize in live edge and slab work. My primary projects with Odie’s were walnut and white oak coffee tables and two sets of live-edge shelves — one set made of hickory and the other, walnut. They still look great several years later. I love Odie’s ease of use and great look. I tried it on an outdoor bar top I did for my oldest daughter, and this was my only disappointment. I was told it would work for outside pieces but had to sand it down and used spar poly to save the top. It didn’t last very long, about three or four months before I had to save my rep with my daughter and son-in-law, which is shaky at best. Thanks for asking for input. I will continue to use Odie’s for many of my projects, just nothing that will go outside.” – Dennis Reid
“I’ve used Odie’s a number of times on various hardwood projects (haven’t tried it on any veneered work yet). I really enjoyed how easy and almost idiot-proof it is…as long as you take a moment to watch one of their demonstrations. A little truly does go a long way. It was also great that it is food-safe with no noxious odors, which meant I was able to apply it inside during the winter, since my shop isn’t heated.” – Jonathan Eigen
“I’ve used Odie’s Butter on charcuterie boards and a dining room table and loved the way they turned out. Easy to apply, smells great and my hands get a nice moisturizing too!” – Janice Urbanik
“I have used both. I used to hate finishing, because I would inevitably screw up one of the coats of varnish. I tried Rubio Monocoat a couple years ago on the suggestion of woodworking subreddit. I loved it. It took the pain and fear out of finishing, and it was fast. I tried Odie’s Oil recently and like it as well. I’ve come to prefer it, because it doesn’t go bad once opened. I can come back to Odie’s and use it again and again until the jar is gone. With Rubio Monocoat, it doesn’t seem to last very long after opened. Would love to hear your experience and also if you have experience with them being outdoor finishes.” – Rick Altman
“I have used both. They are great products. Easy to apply and in the long run not as expensive as they sound. I used Monocoat on a large tabletop and Odie’s Oil on small items with great results. At preset I am using Osmo Oil with great results.” – Luis Arango
“I have been using Watco for 30 or so years and don’t see a need to change. I just pour a little out, wipe it on and walk away. Later I will rub it out and I’m done. No need to get mixing containers, measure and mix part A and part B, etc. Plus, I feel the price of these is higher than I want to pay. As a testament to Watco’s durability, when we started using it we were applying it to hard maple percussion instruments that we made by the thousands. If it was good enough for that, it’s good enough for any project I might make today. Just my opinion.” – David Lomas
